Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Journey through history--what really happened and what could have happened--in this lavishly illustrated treasure trove of the tiny ripples that created big waves in history and how they would have turned out differently with a simple twist of fate.
World War I: What if Kaiser Wilhelm had picked up the phone?
Kaiser Wilhelm picks up the phone -- THE KAISER STOPS THE GREAT WAR FROM HAPPENING -- Women can't vote -- Prohibition doesn't pass -- The Mafia is now fourteen people in a basement in Little Italy
Alexander the Great: What if Alexander had married Barsine?
Alexander marries Barsine -- His son Heracles ascends to the throne with zero civil warring -- ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE LASTS A THOUSAND YEARS -- You speak Greek and are very wise.
Expertly researched and outrageously entertaining, this enriching exploration of real and alternative history will enthrall and delight readers--from history buffs to the causally curious.
Synopsis
Hal Johnson's IMPOSSIBLE HISTORIES allows you to journey through history--what really happened and what could have happened--in a lavishly illustrated treasure trove of the tiny ripples that created big waves in history, and how they would have turned out differently with a simple twist of fate.
World War I: What if Kaiser Wilhelm had picked up the phone?
Kaiser Wilhelm picks up the phone -- THE KAISER STOPS THE GREAT WAR FROM HAPPENING -- Women can't vote -- Prohibition doesn't pass -- The Mafia is now fourteen people in a basement in Little Italy
Alexander the Great: What if Alexander had married Barsine?
Alexander marries Barsine -- His son Heracles ascends to the throne with zero civil warring -- ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE LASTS A THOUSAND YEARS -- You speak Greek and are very wise.
Expertly researched and outrageously entertaining, this enriching exploration of real and alternative history will enthrall and delight readers--from history buffs to the causally curious.
Synopsis
An exciting and humorous take on twenty pivotal moments of history and what would have happened if things had gone differently--from World War I (What if Kaiser Wilhelm had stopped the war?) to Alexander The Great (What if the world's greatest conqueror had a male heir?) to the European colonization of North America (What if the Vikings had stayed?).
Readers will not only learn what really happened and why, but also how tiny differences could have set off totally different series of events. It's history expertly and entertainingly explained.
An outrageous, yet enriching exploration of real and alternative history told with author Hal Johnson's winning wit and wisdom. Perfect for history buffs and the casually curious alike.
Synopsis
What does women's suffrage have to do with the telephone? How could elephants have brought a thousand years of peace to the Middle East? Which Roman emperor might have saved the life of Louis XVI? Could Sophocles's least popular play have rescued the twentieth century? How might Freemasons control the Capitol?
Across 1400 years and six continents (sorry, Australia), Impossible Histories examines pivotal moments in history from both sides--what happened and what would have happened had things gone differently. The results are by turns strange, hilarious, tragic...and always fascinating.
Synopsis
Across 1400 years and six continents (sorry, Australia), Impossible Histories examines pivotal moments in history from both sides--what happened and what would have happened had things gone differently. The results are by turns strange, hilarious, tragic...and always fascinating.
Imagine a world in which...
- Hitler builds a thousand-year Reich
- Columbus gets driven from the Americas by mounted knights
- Robespierre decapitates Caesar Augustus
- The Inca Empire has an air force
- Jimmy Carter presses the Button
These brave new worlds are merely our own, familiar world--if something small had happened differently. We're all one elephant away from peace in the Middle East, one knife thrust away from nuclear Armageddon.
This book examines twenty pivotal moments in history, asks what if?..., and drags the answers kicking